Category: Podcast

Episode 25 – Do you and your leadership team feel burdened by solving all the problems that get in the way of achieving the results your organization needs You’re not alone. This is the crux of the leadership challenge: transitioning from being the primary problem-solver to a transformational leader who creates the conditions for their people to achieve results. 

Episode 24 – If you’re passionate about continuous improvement, quality, or operational excellence, chances are Dr. W. Edwards Deming has shaped your journey—even if you haven’t realized it yet. But do you know how this influence came about and the profound impact Deming’s management theories have had on shaping quality and improvement approaches such as Lean, Agile, and DevOps?

Episode 23 – What does “winning” mean to you as a leader? And what is your leadership role in creating a winning strategy and organizational culture? According to Billy Ray Taylor, CEO and President at LinkedXL and former Goodyear Tire executive, winning is not only about defining a clear strategy and aligning on the goals and metrics, but engaging your team members and defining the actions to get there.

Episode 22 – Have you ever paused to reflect on the critical moments of your life and realized their impact on your own trajectory and others’ lives? In this special episode of Chain of Learning, I welcome back Isao Yoshino as we celebrate our decade-long partnership and the anniversary of our book “Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn.”

Episode 21 – Today’s guest has influenced tens of thousands of leaders worldwide, and he’s the subject and inspiration for my book, Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn. Now, he’s here to share his insights on learning to lead and Leading to Learn® and what it means to be part of a Chain of Learning®. I’m thrilled to welcome Isao Yoshino, 40-year Toyota leader, to the show.

Episode 20 – Have you ever received blank stares from leaders when you’ve advocated that they adopt an improvement method or tool you know will help them? Perhaps the problem is not your idea but rather that you aren’t communicating in a way that connects these concepts with the business outcomes they need or in language that they understand.

Episode 19 – Are you struggling to get your senior team on board with your vision for change, to get buy-in for a new initiative, or to get leaders to sign on to your services as a coach or consultant? Good news. Leading through influence and persuasion can make this happen.

Episode 18 – What do you think of when you hear the word “kaizen”? An event? A process that you are working on improving? Something else? The Japanese word “kaizen” is usually translated to mean “continuous improvement.” But there is a deeper meaning. It’s actually the lynchpin to creating a real culture of continuous improvement.

Episode 17 – Does successful change always have to start from the top? How can you stop pushing change on your leaders and instead create pull from them for the organizational culture you envision? If you’re leading continuous improvement internally, these questions are crucial because they address the challenge of how to cultivate a workforce of capable, engaged problem-solvers across all levels.

Episode 16 – Are you focusing on the right problems in your organization? More importantly, are you creating the conditions and processes in your organization to effectively solve them? In this episode of Chain of Learning, Mark Graban and I explore the importance of developing the skills of an Analytical Systems Thinker—one of the eight core competencies in my Change KATALYST™ model—to catalyze truly meaningful change.

Episode 15 – Want to know the secret to success? It’s about embracing lifelong learning, being willing to try new things and seek out information, setting intentions to get better, and embracing the failures that come with learning your way forward. I believe when we stay in learning – a learning attitude, mindset, and practice – anything is possible. 

Episode 14 – What’s your reaction when you hear the phrase “corporate politics”? Does it make you cringe and want to run away, or do you get curious about how to leverage them to influence outcomes? In this episode, Betsy Jordyn joins me to discuss the essential skill of successfully navigating organizational politics. As a long-time organizational development consultant for companies like Disney, Wyndham, and AAA, Betsy’s expertise—and personal experiences—on the subject is enlightening.